This article details the steps required to enable SQL Server full text search support within InstantKB.NET & SQL Server 2005. Towards the bottom of this article you'll also find information on how to enable InstantForum.NET to search attachments and also how to install 3rd party iFilters to search PDF documents.
If you've not already enabled full text search for your instance of SQL Server 2005 you can do so by executing the query below. If your using SQL Server 2000 you'll need to ensure you install the full-text service from the add / remove programs dialog.
To enable full text search within SQL Server 2005 execute the following query within SQL Server 2006 Management Studio...
sp_fulltext_database 'enable'
Once you've enabled full-text search the next step is to create the catalog, Expand your InstantForum.NET database within SQL Server 2005 Management Studio and click "Storage".Right click the "Full-Text Catalog" node and select "New Full-Text Catalog" as shown below...
This will popup the create catalog wizard. You can provide any name you wish for your catalog. We suggest leaving the majority of settings as the default when creating your catalog. You will have the option to amend catalog settings later.
Once you've created your catalog the next step is to add the database table columns we want to index to the catalog. For a complete list of column that need to be included within the catalog please see the section below.
You will need to right click on each table listed below and select the "Define Full-Text Index" option for each table listed below.
IMPORTANT: You must always include the following database columns within your full-text catalog.
You will need to define full-text indexes for the following columns...
- InstantASP_Tags.TagKeyword
- InstantASP_Tags.TagKeywordEncoded
- InstantForum_Topics.Title
- InstantForum_Topics.Description
- InstantForum_Messages.MessageText
You will need to define an index for each column listed above. The define index dialog is wizard based. You can use the default settings when creating each index however you must ensure you include the database table columns listed above.
Once full-text is enabled within SQL Server and you've defined the indexes as shown above required by InstantForum.NET you should enable full-text support within InstantForum.NET. To enable full-text support within InstantForum.NET you'll need to visit the Admin CP » Forum settings page as shown below...
To learn more about the difference between ContainsTable & FreeTextTable please see the related links at the bottom of this article.
Once you've created your catalog and defined the indexes to include in that catalog you should ensure you set a population schedule for the catalog. This will ensure your search results remain up-to date and new content is frequently added to the search catalog.
To define a population schedule you'll need to visit your catalog properties as shown below...From within the catalog properties dialog you should click the "Population Schedule" option and then "New" to create your population schedule.
Creating the population schedule is very similar to creating a calendar item within outlook and very straight-forward. We won't cover the options available here. We would suggest you populate your catalog during low traffic times. How often you update is really down to how often your content changes. We would suggest updating the catalog at least once a day.
I hope this information helps. If you have any comments or questions please don't hesitate to contact us.